A variety of packages, including dispensing packages or containers, have been developed for food and drink products as well as for personal care products such as shampoo, lotion, and other materials. Such containers typically have an opening in an end on which is mounted a dispensing closure.
One type of dispensing closure for these kinds of containers has a flexible, pressure-openable, self-sealing, slit-type dispensing valve mounted in the closure over the container opening. When the container is squeezed, the valve slits open, and the fluid contents of the container are discharged through the open slits of the valve. The valve automatically closes to shut off fluid flow therethrough upon a decrease of the increased pressure below a threshold value—and the valve closes even if the unsqueezed container is inverted so that the valve is subjected to the weight of the contents within the container.
Designs of closures using such valves are illustrated in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,271,531 and 5,033,655. Typically, such closures include a body mounted on the container neck to hold the valve over the container opening.
A lid can be provided for covering the valve during shipping and when the container is otherwise not in use. See, for example, FIGS. 31-34 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,531. Such a lid can be designed to prevent leakage from the valve under certain conditions. The lid can also keep dust and dirt from the valve and/or can protect the valve from damage.
The inventor of the present invention has determined that it would be advantageous to provide an improved dispensing structure that incorporates a slit-type dispensing valve and that could be used with food product containers, including thin walled, flexible, collapsible containers, deformable, collapsible paperboard containers, foil pouch-type containers, and the like.
It would be particularly beneficial to provide such an improved dispensing structure that could be sealingly secured to such a container and that could not be removed from such a container without destroying a portion of the container and/or dispensing structure.
It would also be desirable to provide such an improved dispensing structure which could accommodate the use of a tamper-evident freshness seal.
It would also be advantageous to provide an improved package which includes a container and a dispensing structure wherein the dispensing structure could be initially covered and/or hermetically sealed until it is used.
An improved dispensing structure should also accommodate designs which permit incorporation of the dispensing structure as a unitary part, or extension, of the container with a reduced number of components and which also accommodate designs that separately mount the dispensing structure on the container in a secure manner.
It would also be beneficial if such an improved dispensing structure could readily accommodate its manufacture from a variety of different materials.
Further, it would be desirable if such an improved dispensing structure could be provided with a design that would accommodate efficient, high-quality, large volume manufacturing techniques with a reduced product reject rate.
Preferably, the improved dispensing structure should also accommodate high-speed manufacturing techniques that produce products having consistent operating characteristics unit-to-unit with high reliability.
The present invention provides an improved dispensing structure and package which can accommodate designs having the above-discussed benefits and features.